'I knew two English phrases... and one was I want to work with Johnny Depp': Penelope Cruz on dream job with Pirates Of The Caribbean star

Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz has revealed that she only knew two phrases in English when she moved to the U.S. to try and make it in the movies - and one of them was 'I want to work with Johnny Depp'.

The star, who turned 37 last month, revealed that it was her dream to work with the 47-year-old star - and that the only other English words she knew when she arrived in Hollywood were 'How are you?'

Penelope, who was born in a suburb of Madrid, first worked with Johnny a decade ago in movie Blow and they have remained close friends ever since - so she explained she jumped at the chance to work with him again on Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Firm friends: Penelope Cruz, seen here with Johnny Depp at the Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiere in Los Angeles last week, said he's always making her laugh

She explained: 'When I first came to America I only knew two phrases in English. One was, "How are you?" and the other was, "I want to work with Johnny Depp."

'Then after I worked with him on Blow, I learned how to say, "I want to work with Johnny Depp again!" He’s very addictive and he just gets better and better over the years.'

Share this article

However, she explained there was a slight problem with working with him again - trying not to laugh during shooting.

She told the Mirror: 'The only problem is he has a very peculiar sense of humour – and even though I know all his tricks, he can still crack me up.

'I can’t stop laughing when we are working so we had a few problems on the set. One time we were stuck for two hours and couldn’t finish the scene because we couldn’t stop laughing.'

On set: Johnny, Penelope and Ian McShane in a still from the forthcoming new movie

Oscar-winner Penelope also revealed that they have a shared love of animated comedy show South Park - and Johnny created a fancy dress outfit based on the show's Mr Hanky The Christmas Poo that she had to wear as a forfeit on set.

Penelope laughed: 'Johnny made this outfit for me and we had a bet which I lost. And I had to wear the Poo outfit on the set.

'He was on the floor laughing and crying and he took a thousand pictures of me which I hope never come to light. But, of course, now that I’ve said it, I’m sure they will appear somewhere.'

In the new Pirates film, Penelope, who's married to actor Javier Bardem, plays Angelica, the daughter of Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane, and an old flamed of Depp's character Captain Jack Sparrow.

Shiver me timbers: Penelope plays Angelica in the movie, an old flame of Johnny's Captain Jack Sparrow, and the daughter of Ian McShane's Blackbeard

The pair embark on a mission to try and find the fabled Fountain Of Youth.

Penelope said she'd had a blast making the film, even though she was pregnant at the time, giving birth to son Leo three months ago.

'This is a great adventure for any actor. I’m a big fan of the first three movies and of what Johnny did in them.'

However, being heavily pregnant made filming some scenes in Puerto Rico difficult.

Avast me hearties! Huge banners advertising Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides went up on the facade of the Carlon Hotel in Cannes ahead of the 64th Cannes Film Festival this month

She said: 'It was extremely hot and because we were doing some overhead shots from a helicopter there was nowhere to put a bathroom. You had to keep going in and out of the water every 15 or 20 minutes.

'Those days were interesting but even then we just laughed the whole time.'

As for being a first-time mother, she said: 'It’s hard to explain because it’s so deep. But it’s the most beautiful feeling I have ever had.'

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in cinemas on May 18.